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No African American Parade

By Jeffrey B. Cohen

May 08, 2009

If you were looking forward to this year's African American Parade -- don't.

The parade, originally scheduled for Saturday, is off because the organization that runs it couldn't raise enough money to make it go.

"When you start adding all of [the costs] in - and there's no paid staff, it's all volunteer - it just starts to add up," said Ula Dodson, president of the African American Parade Day Committee. Besides, Dodson said, her organization already owes the city roughly $8,000 from prior parades. "We're going back to the drawing board." (Photo: African American Parade Day Committee website)

Dodson said that her organization needs roughly $50,000 to cover the city expenses and its annual operating budget. She didn't say how much she has raised, saying only, "Not that much."

The parade normally would begin in Bushnell Park, make its way to Albany Avenue, and end at Keney Park. This year, it won't go anywhere, Dodson said.

"I think a lot of times, people really think that there's no cost involved, but it's not like that," Dodson said. "We were waiting up until last week. We were waiting to the last hour."